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Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot
Alexander Pope's Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot was a gift from Pope to Dr. John Arbuthnot at the time he was dying. Dr. Arbuthnot was diagnosed with a terminal illness and the poem was one of his last requests. While the poem was meant to commemorate their friendship, Pope explains that his gift will actually be "a bill of complaint," which he has been building up for years. The 419 lines of poetry ended up being an over-exhausted criticism from Pope about critics and social enemies, who bullied and took the time to solidify his position at the bottom of the social ladder. In the "Advertisement" provided before the poem, Pope explains that everything he has to say is not meant to offend, however, it may be offensive to those he is "least sorry to offend." Underneath all of the insults and outrageous things Pope says about other people, he does very briefly thank Arbuthnot for saving him. Without Arbuthnot, Pope would not have had the pleasure of undergoing all of the scrutiny and criticism with his own work. If Pope were not alive, he would not have any substance for his work.